Contact Us

SAP MII Channel

Among others, SAP Manufacturing Integration and Intelligence (MII) is used to integrate plants and enterprise systems. SAP MII is able to integrate with various system types, communicating via RFC, HTTP or SOAP calls (depending on the communication partner).

The following entities are important:

  • Transactions are used to execute synchronous or asynchronous processes within MII. Often the counterpart on SAP ERP side is communication via IDoc.
  • JCo Messages are used to transfer data in XML format. If SAP ERP is the communication partner usually BAPI calls are made via RFC.
  • Schedulers are responsible to schedule and run transactions, queries, and other objects in SAP MII.
  • Data servers / Message Listeners are used to communicate with plants and SAP ERP systems. They can be regarded as end points / ports for the message processing.


SAP MII that sense it plays an important role in various business processes and integration scenarios and hence should be subject to monitoring. Monitoring tools exist locally in SAP MII, but several customers requested to have monitoring functions available centrally in SAP Solution Manager.

Technical Prerequisites

The following minimum system requirements apply:

  • SAP Solution Manager 7.2, SP03
  • SAP MII:
    • SAP MII 12.2
    • SAP MII 14.0
    • SAP MII 15.0
    • SAP MII 15.1

Note that metrics "Number of failed JCo messages", "Number of intermediate JCo messages", "Number of successful JCo messages", and "Average time to process JCo messages" require to have at least:

  • SAP MII 14.0, SP09
  • SAP MII 15.0, SP07
  • SAP MII 15.1, SP02

 See also SAP note 2377889 - System requirements for SAP MII monitoring via Interface & Connection Monitoring.

Available Monitoring Content

Monitoring Template: MII 

Metric Name Description MAI Category Since SP

Number of schedulers in critical status

This metric calculates the number of MII schedulers in a critical status (PENDING or STOPPED).

Availability 7.2 SP03
Number of unavailable data servers This metric measures the number of MII data servers which are currently unavailable. Availability 7.2 SP03 
Number of failed JCo messages

This metric calculates the number of JCo messages which are currently in a failed status (Failed, NoRuleDefine, Duplicate, Undefined).

Exceptions 7.2 SP03 
Number of failed MII transactions

This metric calculates the number of MII transactions which are currently in a failed status (Invalid, Failed, Terminated, Exception).

Exceptions 7.2 SP03
Number of intermediate JCo messages

This metric calculates the number of JCo messages which are currently in an intermediate status (Received, Running).

Exceptions 7.2 SP03
Number of intermediate MII transactions

This metric calculates the number of MII transactions which are currently in an intermediate status (Pending, Running).

Exceptions 7.2 SP03
Average time to process JCo messages This metric calculates the average processing time of all successfully processed JCo messages (measured in ms). The processing time is the time between creation of the JCo message until it reached a final (successful) status. The average processing time is calculated as the mean average processing time of all JCo messages. Performance 7.2 SP03
Average time to process MII transactions This metric calculates the average processing time of all successfully processed MII transactions (measured in ms). The processing time is the time between creation of the MII transaction until it reached a final (successful) status. The average processing time is calculated as the mean average processing time of all MII transactions. Performance 7.2 SP03
Number of successful JCo messages

This metric calculates the number of JCo messages which are currently in a successful status (Processed, Categorized).

Performance 7.2 SP03
Number of successful MII transactions This metric calculates the number of MII transactions which are currently in a successful status (Succeeded). Performance 7.2 SP03

Configuration

The Interface and Connection Monitoring setup can be accessed via SAP Solution Manager Configuration (SOLMAN_SETUP). 

To access the Integration Monitoring setup please go to SAP Solution Manager Configuration (SOLMAN_SETUP) → Application Operations → Integration Monitoring → Interface and Connections.

 

Note: If you didn't perform the infrastructure configuration yet, follow the steps in Interface and Connection Monitoring Setup with SAP Solution Manager 7.2.

Monitoring Template: MII

To enable the Interface and Connection Monitoring data provider to access the (J2EE-based) SAP MII server, an additional RFC destination of type G must be maintained in SAP Solution Manager.

Create HTTP RFC Destination to SAP MII:

  1. Call transaction SM59 and create a new destination of type 'G'. The destination must fulfill the naming convention <SID>_MII_MONITORING with <SID> being the extended system ID of the managed SAP MII System.
  2. In the Technical Settings tab, provide the host and the port of the MII server.

  3. In the Logon & Security tab, select Logon with User / Basic Authentication.

  4. Provide the name and the password of a suitable user existing in the SAP MII system. The user must have the XMII_ADMINISTRATOR authorization on the SAP MII side.

For details see SAP Note 2288124.

Navigate to Interface and Connection Monitoring and switch to the Define Scope step. You can create a new scenario or use an existing one. Make sure the sender and the receiver system are part of the Interface and Connection Monitoring scenario.

Create the Interface Channel:

  1. Select the scenario and click Next.
  2. In the Preparation step, perform all relevant manual activities and run all automatic activities.
  3. In the Configuration step, click the Add button.
    • Channel Name: Enter a meaning full name (max. 30 characters)
    • Type: Select SAP MII
    • Monitoring Template: Select MII
    • Description: Enter a description for the channel
  4. Click Next.
  5. Source type:
    • Select Technical System
    • If the source system is not on-premise, select External Service if it is a cloud service or Unspecified Managed Object.
  6. Source: Select the on premise system from the drop-down list.
  7. Target Type:
    • Select Technical System
    • If the target system is not on-premise, select External Service if it is a cloud service or Unspecified Managed Object.
  8. Target: Select the on system from the drop-down list or enter the name for the unspecified managed object.
  9. The measuring point is selected automatically. Please note that for this template either the target or the source system must be an SAP J2EE system. If you have two SAP J2EE systems in your channel, double check that the measuring point is set to the SAP MII system.
  10. If more than one client are connected for the on-premise system, select the correct client for the monitoring.
  11. Click Next.
  12. Click Finish.

Maintain the Interface:

  1. The interface channel type does not have any configurable parameters on the interface level. Move directly to the metric configuration.

Select Metrics:

  1. On the Metrics tab, select the metrics you want to monitor. Note that the selected metrics are collected for each interface entered above.

  2. Enter Metric Parameters:

    • Metric: Number of schedulers in critical status

      • Parameter set name: You can enter a name for the parameter set to distinguish it if you have more than one

      • Scheduler Name: Name of the scheduler

      • Scheduler Class Name: Type of the scheduler

      • Scheduler Status: STOPPED or PENDING. Per default all critical statuses are taken into account, but you can overrule the default by explicitly setting the status to be monitored in this parameter.

    • Metric: Number of unavailable data servers

      • Parameter set name: You can enter a name for the parameter set to distinguish it if you have more than one

      • Data Server name: Name of the data server/p>

      • Data Server connector type: Use the input help to find the correct connector type

    • Metrics: Number of failed JCo messages, Average time to process JCo messages, Number of successful JCo messages

      • Parameter set name: You can enter a name for the parameter set to distinguish it if you have more than one

      • JCo message name: JCo connection name

      • JCo message type: RFC, IDOC or WebService.  

      • Message listener name: Name of the message listener

      • JCo message status: Per default all failed/successful statuses are taken into account. You can overwrite the standard statuses here. Use the input help to see which statuses are available for each metric.

      • Selected time frame (mandatory): This parameter defines the starting point for data collection. Refer to Further Information for available parameters.

      • 4) MII Server Time Zone: To provide the time zone of the MII server. Use the value help to select the right time zone. If no value is provided it is assumed that the MII server runs in the same time zone as the SAP Solution Manager system.

    • Metric: Number of intermediate JCo messages

      • Parameter set name: You can enter a name for the parameter set to distinguish it if you have more than one

      • JCo message name: JCo connection name

      • JCo message type: RFC, IDOC or WebSer

        vice.  

      • M

        essage listener name: name of the message listener

      • JCo message status: Per default all intermediate statuses are taken into account. You can overwrite the standard statuses here. Please use the input help to see which statuses are available for each metric.

      • Status age (minutes): This defines the minimum age a JCo message in intermediate status may have before it is taken into account by the data collector.

      • Selected time frame (mandatory): This parameter defines the starting point for data collection. Refer to Further Information for available parameters.

      • 4) MII Server Time Zone: To provide the time zone of the SAP MII server. Use the value help to select the right time zone. If no value is provided it is assumed that the MII server runs in the same time zone as the SAP Solution Manager system.

    • Metric: Number of failed MII transactions

      • Parameter set name: You can enter a name for the parameter set to distinguish it if you have more than one

      • Transaction Name: Name of the transaction

      • Server Name: Name of the server the transaction is running on

      • Running User: Name of the user running the transaction

      • Transaction Status: Per default all failed/successful statuses are taken into account. You can overwrite the standard statuses here. Please use the input help to see which statuses are available for each metric.

      • 4) Selected time frame: This parameter defines the starting point for data collection. Refer to Further Information for available parameters.

      • 4) MII Server Time Zone: To provide the time zone of the SAP MII server. Use the value help to select the right time zone. If no value is provided it is assumed that the MII server runs in the same time zone as the SAP Solution Manager system.

    • Metrics: Average time to process MII transactions  

      • Parameter set name: You can enter a name for the parameter set to distinguish it if you have more than one

      • Transaction Name: Name of the transaction

      • Server Name: Name of the server the transaction is running on

      • Running User: Name of the user running the transaction

      • 4) Selected time frame: This parameter defines the starting point for data collection. Refer to Further Information for available parameters.

      • 4) MII Server Time Zone: To provide the time zone of the SAP MII server. Use the value help to select the right time zone. If no value is provided it is assumed that the MII server runs in the same time zone as the SAP Solution Manager system.

    • Metric: Number of intermediate MII transactions

      • Parameter set name: You can enter a name for the parameter set to distinguish it if you have more than one

      • Transaction Name: Name of the transaction

      • Server Name: Name of the server the transaction is running on

      • Running User: Name of the user running the transaction

      • Transaction Status: Per default all intermediate statuses are taken into account. You can overwrite the standard statuses here. Please use the input help to see which statuses are available for each metric.

      • Status Age (minutes): This defines the minimum age a MII transaction in intermediate status may have before it is taken into account by the data collector.

      • 4) Selected time frame: This parameter defines the starting point for data collection. Refer to Further Information for available parameters.

      • 4) MII Server Time Zone: To provide the time zone of the SAP MII server. Use the value help to select the right time zone. If no value is provided it is assumed that the MII server runs in the same time zone as the SAP Solution Manager system.

    • Metric: Number of successful MII transactions

      • Parameter set name: You can enter a name for the parameter set to distinguish it if you have more than one

      • Transaction Name: Name of the transaction

      • Server Name: Name of the server the transaction is running on

      • Running User: Name of the user running the transaction

      • 4) Selected time frame: This parameter defines the starting point for data collection. Refer to Further Information for available parameters.

      • 4) MII Server Time Zone: To provide the time zone of the SAP MII server. Use the value help to select the right time zone. If no value is provided it is assumed that the MII server runs in the same time zone as the SAP Solution Manager system.

4) These parameters are only fully available as of SAP Solution Manager 7.2 SP07. However, you can implement SAP Note 2586900 to downport these parameters to earlier versions (SP03 - SP06).

You can maintain attributes as described in the Interface and Connection Monitoring Setup with SAP Solution Manager 7.2 on the Attributes tab.

Thresholds and the collection schedule are maintained in the next step of the guided procedure. Once you have maintained all your channels, click Next in the main guided procedure to move to the step Activation.

Maintain Thresholds and Schedule:

  1. Select the Alert for the channel (the alert is the line with the red flash icon next to it)
    • On alert level you can maintain notification and incident message creation
  2. Select the Metrics
    • You can adjust the thresholds on the Thresholds tab.
    • Do not change the data collector type or data collector name on the Data Collection tab as the monitor will not work anymore if this is changed.
    • Only change the collection interval if you know what you do or if advised to do this by SAP.
  3. Click Apply and Activate → <Choose one option> to activate the monitoring 

Further Information

JCo Message Statuses

Severity Statuses Considered
Successful  Processed, Categorized 
Intermediate Received, Running 
Failed Failed, NoRuleDefined, Duplicate, Undefined 

Transaction Statuses

Severity Statuses Considered
Failed Invalid, Failed, Terminated, ExceptionInvalid
Intermediate Pending, Running
Successful  Succeeded 

Maintaining the Selected time frame Parameter

The Selected time frame parameter defines the starting point for data collection, by making use of dynamic placeholders. The end point for data collection is always the current point in time. The data collector evaluates the placeholders at runtime, and the data collection is restricted to this time frame accordingly.

The syntax for these parameters is as follows:

Syntax = {Placeholder}{Operator}{Offset}

The {Placeholder} has to be prefixed by a "$" sign. The optional {Offset} is entered as an integer value after the {Operator}. For {Operator}, you can choose the following signs:

  • "-": decrements the offset
  • "+": increments the offset

Example: $TODAY-2 = day before yesterday

For the placeholder, the following keywords are available:

  • $TODAY = current date
  • $FDOCW = first day of current week
  • $LDOCW = last day of current week
  • $FDOCM = first day of current month
  • $LDOCM = last day of current month
  • $FDOCQ = first day of current quarter
  • $LDOCQ = last day of current quarter
  • $FDOCY = first day of current year
  • $LDOCY = last day of current year
  • $FDOPW = first day of previous week
  • $LDOPW = last day of previous week
  • $FDOPM = first day of previous month
  • $LDOPM = last day of previous month
  • $FDOPQ = first day of previous quarter
  • $LDOPQ = last day of previous quarter
  • $FDOPY = first day of previous year
  • $LDOPY = last day of previous year
  • $FDONW = first day of next week
  • $LDONW = last day of next week
  • $FDONM = first day of next month
  • $LDONM = last day of next month
  • $FDONQ = first day of next quarter
  • $LDONQ = last day of next quarter
  • $FDONY = first day of next year
  • $LDONY = last day of next year
  • $FIPEC = Fiscal Period (current)
  • $FIPEP = Fiscal Period (previous)
  • $TIMES = timestamp now (offset in seconds)
  • $TIMEM = timestamp now (offset in minutes)
  • $TIMEH = timestamp now (offset in hours)
  • $TIMED = timestamp now (offset in days)
  • $HOURA = absolute hour (today or yesterday)
  • $HOURR = current full hour (relative offset)
  • $DELTA = delta mode (only consider JCo messages or transactions created since the last data collection)